UK, London - Hawksmoor Steakhouse Guildhall

My first full day in London so time to kick off the full London experience – so I headed down to Hawksmoor Steakhouse in Guildhall, the financial district of London and a major epicentre of world finance. It took me quite some time to find, walking around for quite some time trying to follow Google maps instructions. The who’s who of banking line the area and people dressed in suits frequent the area. Also passed the former owner of Bankwest, Lloyds TSB, which had to sell off assets such as Bankwest during the GFC.

Stepping in to Hawksmoor Steakhouse, you’re immediately confronted by a little foyer with a concierge desk at the front. The lady behind the counter asked if I had a reservation which I didn’t and then took my name and told me to head down. They also have a coat room as I was asked if I wanted to keep my backpack with her. I headed down the stairs wondering what exactly is happening and then was met by friendly staff and confronted with this huge underground venue which looks steeped in history & a place where many deals were made. This place is huge! I can’t describe the decor or the interior but it’s a place which has been preserved, a time from a bygone era, yet, still mod enough to not look out of place. There’s plenty of tables all neatly lined with tablecloths and soft benches against the walls.

I was taken to a table and probably looked completely out of place amongst the well dressed suits. Well I would normally be in a suit myself working for a bank, but not in London. Instead, I’m a tourist eagerly exploring and soaking in the experience. I was given a menu to look through. Since I don’t like eggs, a full English breakfast was out of the question, so I went with 4 fluffy pancakes with 3 rashes of bacon, whisky flavoured maple syrup & freshly squeezed grapefruit juice.

I was really enjoying my time here and I really liked the feel of the venue. I have never seen a place like this and it would be great to have something like this in Australia. After a reasonable wait, I was presented with my breakfast, the most important meal of the day. Wow! Yes there is a major wow factor to this meal. I dove in and the pancakes were delicious. So soft and fluffy just like the menu description and I poured over plenty of the whiskey flavoured maple syrup. I loved the pancakes with lots of syrup which isn’t too sweet. The bacon was well cooked but very salty. I did have a different taste, despite it’s saltiness, to Australian bacon. The tart grapefruit juice was certainly required to cut through the fat & saltiness. Absolutely stuffed. That only cost 6 pound, ~$10 AUD for the pancakes while the juice was 4 pounds. Unbelievable taste and value, not to mention the excellent service.

Hawksmoor Steakhouse Food Review Summary

Verdict: Part of travelling is taking in new experiences and the Hawksmoor Steakhouse at Guildhall is one such experience. Located underground in the financial district, you’re taken into a world from a bygone era, a huge open venue, steeped in history, a place where deals have been made and corporate battlegrounds fought. The service is friendly and efficient and there’s lots to choose from on the menu. The fluffy pancakes were as described, soft, light, airy and oh so tasty with plenty of warmed whiskey flavoured maple syrup which isn’t too sweet. The bacon was lovely but far too salty unfortunately, however, with some tart grapefruit juice, this helped to cut through the fat and saltiness. What a meal in a wonderful venue with excellent service for an unbelievable price – a price in Australia that wouldn’t buy half of what I experienced.Price: Bargain (~$17 AUD, $1 AUD = £0.6 Pound)Taste: DeliciousValue: ExcellentRecommendation: Recommend

Hawksmoor Steakhouse Restaurant Details

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UK, London - Hawksmoor Steakhouse Guildhall, reviewed by Shaun on 2013-06-19T13:50:01+00:00 rating 4.3 out of 5